A San Antonio man has been convicted of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the 2021 shooting death of a neighbor and the attempted shooting of the neighbor's wife. 21-year-old Jordan Alexander Eaton now faces a potential life sentence for the killing of Valentin Gonzales IV, age 28, after a heated altercation over petting a dog, as reported by KSAT.
During the trial detailed by Express News, prosecutors argued that the confrontation began when Eaton became upset over the attention Brittany Gonzales, the victim's wife, paid to his dog. Witnesses captured the incident on video, which subsequently played a pivotal role in the court proceedings. The defense, represented by attorneys Christian Vega and Aaron Diaz, claimed Eaton acted in self-defense, alleging he feared Valentin Gonzales would use the gun against him during the scuffle. Eaton told KSAT, "I just wanted them to leave me alone," before firing the first gunshot at the ground.
The deadly confrontation took place at the Branch at Medical Center apartment complex on December 30, 2021. According to the arrest affidavit, Eaton fired a shot toward Brittany Gonzales but Valentin Gonzales tackled him, trying to take the gun away. In the struggle, Valentin Gonzales was shot multiple times in the torso and later pronounced dead at University Hospital, Express News reports. Hours after the incident, Eaton turned himself into the police.
The jury reached a verdict after less than two hours of deliberation, as per the information from Express News. During the trial, DNA evidence suggested that multiple individuals could have contacted the weapon. However, prosecutors highlighted the threat Eaton made to Brittany Gonzales before the shooting, with prosecutor Neal Cordero saying, "If someone shoots a gun at your wife, you get to hit them wherever you want," according to Express News. "Valentin should have kept going...but he was killed..."
In the wake of the tragedy, Valentin Gonzales IV's widow, Brittany Gonzales, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the apartment's owners and management company on behalf of herself and her son seeking over $1 million in damages. This legal action, detailed by KSAT, alleged that Eaton had been a troublemaker at the complex for some time and that the management, though aware of the issues, failed to intervene. A confidential settlement was reached in August for the minor plaintiffs involved. The jury is set to decide Eaton's punishment on Tuesday in the 437th Criminal District Court, with both the murder conviction and the aggravated assault charge weighing heavily on the final sentence.
